Assessment of Vertical and Horizontal Position of Mental Foramen in a Subpopulation of Kermanshah City by Panoramic Radiographs
Author(s): Farzad Rezaei, Ehsan Bahrampour, Saeid Alizadeh, Mohammad Moslem Imani
Abstract
Adequate knowledge about the position of mental foramen in different populations is imperative for successful anesthetic and surgical interventions. This study sought to assess the vertical and horizontal position of the mental foramen in a subpopulation of Kermanshah city using panoramic radiographs. This cross-sectional study was performed on 500 panoramic radiographs (250 males, 250 females) retrieved from the archives of the oral and maxillofacial radiology clinics in Kermanshah city. The horizontal position of mental foramen was classified according to the classification by Chkoura and El-Wady (6 types). To determine its vertical position, a line was drawn from the center of the mental foramen perpendicular to the inferior border of the mandible and continued to reach the alveolar crest. This distance was divided into four equal segments and the position of mental foramen in each segment was recorded. Data were analyzed using chi-squared, Fisher’s exact and Monte Carlo chi-square tests (P<0.05). Mental foramen in most cases was in the lower mid one-fourth segment (>99%). Type 4 (in alignment with the apex of the second premolar) was the most common horizontal position of mental foramen on both sides (>50%). Mental foramen positioned between the apices of the first and second premolars ranked second in terms of frequency (seen in about one-third of the cases). The position of mental foramen was almost the same in males and females, and symmetrical in the right and left sides (73%). Our findings highlighted the variability in the position of mental foramen in a subpopulation of Kermanshah city, which should be taken into account in dental practice.
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